Moonstone cameo and diamond pendant-brooch, T.B. Starr, circa 1900

This unusual cameo, carved with the profiles of Mercury, the messenger of the gods, Venus, the goddess of love, and Mars, the god of war, is likely an allegory. Mars was hated among the Olympians yet won the love of Venus, suggesting that love can triumph over the war-like spirit and strife. The role of Mercury is less clear, perhaps he is present to carry the message. 

Theodore B. Starr (1837-1907) of New Rochelle, New York, entered the jewelry business as a messenger boy in 1853. He was soon employed in various capacities by Reed, Taylor & Co. and then Peckham, Merrill, Fitch & Co., achieving enough success to start a partnership with Herman Marcus in 1864. Starr & Marcus, as the company was known, was one of a handful of premier New  York jewelry companies of the day, producing delicate pearl, diamond and coral jewelry. In 1877, T.B. Starr opened a shop under his own name on 25th Street and the company achieved continued success through the early 1920s.